Three teams are 1.5 games apart in the AL Central right now. Three teams are 2.5 games apart in the AL West. Three teams are half a game apart in the NL East. Four teams are 3 games apart in the NL Central. Three teams are half a game apart in the NL West.
The only division that meets your description is the AL East and I do not think there is any chance in hell the Red Sox are actually this bad. Their record is a fluke, they’ll come back big time. No one goes from being one of the best teams of all time to being this shitty in one offseason.
Speaking of the Cubs game, I cannot freakin believe that the Dodgers intentionally walked Willson Contreras when Jason Hayward was the next batter.
Have they not, like, been paying attention to Hayward this year? He’s been kind of a dead spot in the line-up the last few years, but THIS year? Have they been looking at how he’s been doing this year? His on-base-plus-slugging is over a thousand. He’s been more than earning his enormous salary. He got his swing right in the off-season. He’s been dipping his bat in kerosene and striking a match before walking to the plate. I realize that Contreras’s OPS is over 1.100 – Cubs hitting in general is damn good – and I also realize that LA pitcher Scotty A. is a lefty, and Hayward is also a lefty, and so Hayward’s slugging would be down from his average against righties.
Even so.
That intentional walk quite probably cost the Dodgers the ballgame. Which I’m totally fine with. I just don’t understand it. The Cubs won by one run. That one run was the intentional walk, after Hayward jacked the ball over the fence.
The schedule has been kind to the Yanks so far but I’m enjoying the hell out of this ragtag team. Actual small-ball. Bunts, sac flies, stolen bases, singles and doubles. Some guy who wandered in from a local softball league playing first. Players so green that they fall for the hidden ball trick. Ironically, there was some concern that the team was too right-handed. Not a current problem.
Vladimir Guerrero will finally suit up as a Blue Jay in tomorrow’s game in Toronto against the As. Tickets have been going fast, and went up over 50% on the secondary market, for one of the top two? three? prospects in baseball.
Hitting wise, absolutely the best prospect in baseball. The most talented young hitter in the history of the franchise; not even Carlos Delgado was this advanced (at this age Delgado was still in high A ball.) His minor league numbers are not a fluke; just sensational. He is way, way past his age in his skill, approach, everything. He might end up being a better hitter than his Dad, which is saying something.
Overall I think there is more reason to like the long term value of Fernando Tatis Jr., because
Tatis is a skilled defensive shortstop; VGJ is a poor third baseman, and
Tatis is in great shape; VGJ is worryingly overweight for a young man.
I don’t know anyone who seriously thinks VGJ has a long term future at third; he’ll end up at first base or DH, which is fine.
:smack: I seem to have forgotten about all that Dunedin stuff.
Yeah, Tatis is hitting around .290, and Padres management is also impressed with the even-keeled temperament for such a young player - yet another good sign, down the road.
You know what’s weird? With the massive increase in strikeouts and players hitting into shifts, shouldn’t we be seeing more no-hitters? I know the complete game is a thing of the past, but shouldn’t we be having more no-hitters by committee or at least 6 or 7 inning hitless outings by starters?
The MLB batting average isn’t that low, though. Strikeouts don’t matter if they’re just replacing flyouts and groundouts. The overall average is down a bit - I think it was .248 last year - but it’s not ludicrously low.
The distribution of no hitters is very random, and the number in one season, or over a few seasons, can be unexpectedly high or low just by chance.
Would it have killed the reporter to find out the AA and AAA home run averages from previous years? It’s a meaningless stat without that context. Maybe there are always fewer home runs in AA.
I know you never panic in April but the Washington Nationals are seriously underperforming and it’s almost May. This team needs a shake up and I’m not sure if a manager change is what’s needed. This team seriously underperformed last year and the NL East has only gotten more competitive.
Well their bullpen flat out sucks. Doolittle is the only reliable arm out there. It must be very demoralizing to the starters and the hitters to have the pen constantly blowing leads.
What I find odd is that there just aren’t that many .300 hitters any more. Currently, mlb.com shows 32 players above .300, barely 1 per team. It used to be that most lineups had at least 3-4 .300 hitters. Nowadays, batting .240 is acceptable as long as you get your homers. The game was a lot more fun to watch in the days of Billyball. Stolen bases, hit and runs, sacrifices, pinch hitting are all becoming lost arts. Now it’s swing for the fences every time.
1970, 24 teams, 27 players over .300
1980, 26 teams, 29 (and four more at .300)
1990, 26 teams, 22 players
2000, 30 teams, 53 players
2010, 30 teams, 23 players
Looks like about one per team has been pretty standard for a while, with a bump around 2000 up to about two per team. 32 players at or above .300 looks like it’s actually a little above the norm for the last 50 years. (Of course, it’s early yet)
